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(Fate) Chapter 236: Brother Horse (2.6k words)
🕑 Added 2024-12-23 17:26:30 +0000 UTC"Painter... I originally thought it would be Caster, but thinking about it more carefully, none of that could really be called magecraft. All I did was sketch them out."
Of course, what he had sketched were none other than the Twelve Olympian Gods.
And those sketches directly depicted the very essence and truth of the gods—an act impossible to replicate.
To the gods, such paintings were a form of desecration, a theft of divine authority.
If not for the fact that he was Promise, the cherished child adored by the gods, divine wrath would have already descended upon him.
Thus, in relation to his Painter class, an appropriate prefix might be Blasphemer—or perhaps Favored of the Gods.
.
.
.
In the Clock Tower, by the hallways of the teaching building, Promise stood under the radiant summer sunlight, his lips curling slightly as he toyed with the Class Card in his hand.
It had already been inscribed, recording Promise’s life in the Age of Greek Gods—a life that blazed through the night sky like a meteor, leaving an indelible mark.
At this moment, he was already qualified to say:
"I once called upon the Throne of Heroes for aid, but the only one who responded... was myself."
And yet—
"Besides, it seems I don’t even need to seek aid from that so-called Throne of Heroes," Promise murmured softly, his gaze lifting toward the Clock Tower sky, as if staring into some distant place.
Heroic Spirits are those who, through their great deeds and the legends they leave behind, become objects of faith after death.
Originally, Promise thought that the greatest use of this Class Card was to grant him access to the Throne of Heroes, enabling him to be summoned into this world as a Servant, just like the Heroic Spirits Chaldea could call upon.
But when he concluded his performance in the Age of Gods, when he fell into the embrace of that goddess and returned to this world, the moment the Class Card was inscribed, Promise understood something.
This process was entirely different from what he had known.
He hadn’t actually ascended to the Throne of Heroes.
Instead, it was as though he had stolen divine authority to directly complete the creation of his Heroic Spirit form.
To put it simply: the Counter Force in Type-Moon couldn’t control him.
It couldn’t turn him into some "partner of justice" who went around solving crises and working odd jobs.
In this world, no one could command him, or even summon him.
When Promise activated the Class Card, he didn’t summon a Servant or even a Heroic Spirit.
What he summoned was himself.
In essence, when Promise used the Class Card, he simply logged back into the account he had once created.
He stepped back into the role of the person who had walked the destined path, led by the hand of the Goddess of Wisdom, followed silently by the Goddess of Fate, and watched over by countless other gods.
He was who he was.
And thus...
Is the Counter Force currently fuming, frustrated, and perhaps even rolling on the ground, crying and wailing?
Promise’s lips curved upward at the thought.
The Class Card in his hand disappeared as he turned around, his gaze landing on a woman in red approaching him in the hallway.
"Miss Tohsaka.”
Looking at her, Promise noticed how Rin Tohsaka seemed more mature than the girl he remembered from his memories of the Fifth Holy Grail War.
Though, to be fair, it had only been a year since then, so the change wasn’t drastic.
The most noticeable difference was her hair—no longer styled in twin tails, her sleek black hair now fell gracefully, making her appear a bit more mature.
"It’s been a while,* Promise greeted her with a smile.
Rin, with her head held high, nodded slightly in acknowledgment. "Promise, the professor is looking for you. He’s waiting in his office right now."
“I know," Promise replied with a nod, "Shirou already told me.”
After exchanging a few polite words, Rin prepared to leave.
The relationship between the two was relatively neutral, unlike the closer bond between Promise and Shirou.
They were simply classmates.
This wasn’t because Rin was someone difficult to get along with..no, it was quite the opposite.
Thanks to Waver’s teaching style, their class had a great atmosphere.
Otherwise, when the class learned that Flat Escardos had decided to join that unique Holy Grail War and now found himself in danger, the entire class wouldn’t have come together to act collectively.
Speaking of which, Rin had played a leading role in that effort, guiding the group to participate in the Holy Grail War with a clear objective: to destroy the Holy Grail.
As for Promise, he was somewhat isolated in the class.
Surprising, isn’t it?
The reason was simple.
When Promise had not "awakened" and not regained his memories, he had no magic crest and was keenly aware that, despite sharing the same classroom, he and his classmates lived in two entirely different worlds.
As a result, he deliberately kept a low profile and moderated his behavior.
In fact, the students in the class were intelligent and perceptive.
They noticed Promise’s subtle withdrawal and, without addressing it openly, respected his boundaries in their own quiet way, essentially giving him space.
When Promise finally awakened his memories and began dealing with the Class Card and various other matters, his focus shifted toward preparing to drop out.
He didn’t even consider actively changing his relationship with his classmates.
Now, just as Rin was about to leave and Promise was preparing to end this brief encounter to head toward Waver’s office, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Turning back around, she looked at Promise again.
"Shirou mentioned over the phone that you’ve changed a lot.
He seemed genuinely happy for you. I found it a bit strange at the time, but now that I see you... it’s true. You do seem different."
Promise blinked in mild surprise, meeting Rin’s striking blue eyes, he then broke into a smile and replied,
"Is it that obvious? You’re the third person today to say that to me. By the way, what exactly do you all think has changed about me?”
Looking at the curious expression of the young man in front of her, coupled with his smile, Rin Tohsaka was stunned.
After all, in her memory, Promise had always been very restrained, thus appearing to be the type of person who was isolated.
But now it seems... this was the real him.
"Well, let me think about it.
Rin Tohsaka said, stopping, put her hand on her chin, her eyes wandered around Promise as she looked at the young man in front of her very seriously.
"How to describe it... Let's put it this way, I think you will have a very hard time in the future."
She replied with her lips raised.
"Hard work?" The latter looked at her inexplicably.
"Because you will definitely receive a lot of love letters in the future, it's like a romantic bard who came out of the legend, especially your eyes, your eyes now seem to be able to speak, and they have a charm comparable to magic eyes!"
Rin Tohsaka said exaggeratedly.
To be honest, she was very curious about his change.
After all, from her point of view, it was only a day or two at most, so, she couldn't really imagine what kind of things he had gone through in these two days, that his overall temperament changed so drastically!
Even for Rin Tohsaka, who used gemstone magecraft and had been collecting gemstones, she almost couldn't help but ask if his eyes were for sale!
'And she also felt that with those eyes as a medium, she could definitely perform a very powerful gemstone magecraft'
But even so, Rin Tohsaka still restrained herself very much, and did not explore his secrets.
Instead she just chatted a few more words, and then really left.
Immediately, Promise came to the professor's office, knocked on the door for a while, and as Weber's somewhat low voice came from inside.
"Come in."
He pushed the door open and walked in.
As soon as he looked, he saw Weber sitting on the sofa, with a cigarette in his mouth, wearing glasses and looking at the information in his hand, with a very impatient expression.
And beside Weber, there was a girl wearing a black cloak, her hair and appearance slightly hidden by the gray hood, like a winter elf in a colorless world.
When Promise saw her, he subconsciously took two more glances.
Her name was Gray, Weber's apprentice, but not a mage, but a gravedigger.
But these were actually secondary, Promise, who actually was a transmigrator obviously knew her true identity very well.
This individual was a "vessel" intended by a certain clan for the resurrection of King Arthur and had some connection to the British witch Morgan.
As a result, she bore a striking resemblance to King Arthur.
Moreover, in her possession was an exceptionally rare and special relic—Rhongomyniad, the Holy Spear of King Arthur, shining at the end of time.
With this relic alone, she could arguably be considered the strongest student under Waver in terms of raw potential and abilities.
Noticing Promise’s gaze, Gray instinctively glanced at him, then gave a slight nod in greeting.
The latter returned the nod before stepping forward to take a seat in front of Waver.
“Professor, you were looking for me?”
Promise smiled as he addressed Waver.
Waver, without so much as glancing at him, continued reviewing the report in his hands.
Dark circles under his eyes, likely from a sleepless night, gave him a perpetually irritable appearance, as if he might erupt at any moment.
"Why didn’t you attend class today?”
Waver’s tone was low and gruff as he posed the question to Promise.
"Some things came up, and I spent some time in the library with Emiya," The latter answered honestly.
He knew Waver was familiar with Shirou Emiya, even if the two hadn’t exchanged many words.
After all, as someone who survived the Fuyuki Holy Grail War, it was impossible for Waver not to take notice of him.
Hearing this, Waver finally looked up and glanced at Promise, frowning as he scrutinized him for a while before lowering his gaze back to the report in his hands.
“You can go,” He said dismissively.
Promise blinked in surprise. "That’s it?”l"
"What, are you expecting something more?" Waver said impatiently. “I’m not interested in prying into your secrets. If there’s nothing serious, then hurry up and leave. Stop bothering me!”
Promise thought for a moment, then shrugged.
He got up, bid Waver farewell, and gave Gray a friendly smile before heading for the door.
To be honest, Promise had already guessed Waver’s reasoning the moment he saw Gray in the room.
His sleepless night and suspicion likely came from Promise’s drastic change.
Waver was concerned that he might have come into contact with something unclean...or, worse, been replaced by another through some form of magecraft.
In such matters, Gray, as a Gravekeeper and an expert in spirit-based combat, was naturally the most reliable.
Since Gray had shown no unusual reactions to Promise’s presence and had even greeted him warmly as usual, Waver’s concerns were effectively dismissed.
Thus, there was no reason for Waver to keep Promise in the office any longer.
Just as Promise reached the door and was about to leave, Waver’s voice called out nonchalantly.
"Oh, by the way," He said, as if recalling something, "have you decided to stay here?"
Promise paused for a moment, knowing Waver was asking about his plans to withdraw from the Clock Tower.
"Yes," So, he replied, turning back to give a definitive answer and added with a faint smile, “I’ll be counting on you for the things to come, Professor.”
Waver didn’t respond immediately.
He raised his head and locked eyes with the young man's clear emerald gaze for a moment before sighing and waving him off impatiently.
"Got it. Now get out already!”
Promise chuckled lightly and left, leaving the office in silence for a while.
"He’s fine, isn’t he?” Waver suddenly asked Gray, breaking the quiet.
Gray hesitated briefly before replying softly, "I think… he’s fine. But he really does seem like a different person.”
'So dazzling', Gray thought to herself.
Just standing next to him made her feel a bit unworthy.
"..Tohsaka and the others have seen him already, and it seems he’s genuine,” Waver said, finally removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes.
His tense expression relaxed a bit slightly. "I suppose it makes sense. If there really were a problem, he’d have left by now. There’s no way he’d stick around the Clock Tower like an idiot.
I should’ve realized that sooner.”
Gray couldn’t help but smile softly at this.
She knew Waver wasn’t oblivious; he’d simply been worrying about Promise in his own way.
"Still, staying at the Clock Tower isn’t exactly ideal for him. But it seems he’s made this decision seriously…” Waver muttered, clicking his tongue in frustration. "What a headache!”
Waver may have complained about the trouble, but deep down, he had no intention of allowing Promise to drop out.
It was precisely this nature of his concern hidden behind gruff words, that made him the most beloved teacher in the Clock Tower.
"This hurdle is cleared. So, what should I do next?”
Leaving the office and wandering through the halls of the Clock Tower, Promise eventually found himself standing in the vast plaza, gazing at the various branching paths ahead with a hint of uncertainty on his face.
"Well, first of all, let's go treat ourselves properly,"
The confusion in his expression quickly gave way to clarity, and with a smile tugging at his lips, Promise left the Clock Tower, heading toward central London.
There, he indulged in a variety of delicious foods and spent a good portion of the day aimlessly wandering through the bustling streets.
...
..
..
As night fell, Promise left the lively city behind and began walking alone toward the outskirts.
After some time, he reached a high vantage point.
Looking up, Promise gazed at the twinkling stars above as the Class Card appeared in his hands once more.
But this time, instead of holding it, he allowed the card to dissolve and merge into his body.
In that moment, Promise reclaimed the power that was inherently his.
And with it, his perception of the world shifted.
Everything appeared sharper, more vivid, and alive with possibilities.
Ensuring that no one was following him, Promise stretched out his hand, reaching for the star he had once captured in the Age of Greek Gods.
From the heavens, he drew forth a pure white feather quill—a gift from that era, embodying both beauty and mystery.
With the quill in hand, Promise began to draw in the canvas of the night sky, sketching with strokes filled with familiarity and longing.
The lines coalesced into the figure of a creature that had vanished from the world alongside the decline of the gods and mysteries: a Pegasus, wings outstretched in divine splendor.
As the image came to life, a shooting star fell from the heavens, descending to earth.
At the same time, the burst of magical energy attracted the attention of several magi across the region, who turned their gazes toward the phenomenon with curiosity and astonishment.
Yet the darkness of night concealed much, and none could fully grasp what had occurred.
And so, Promise saw it once more.
As described on the Class Card, whenever he called for it, it would respond—even in an age where it was never meant to exist.
"Brother Horse…”
Promise stared at the Pegasus standing before him, its immaculate wings spread wide as it gazed back at him with intelligent, unblinking eyes.
After a moment of hesitation, he finally spoke, his voice soft and filled with a mix of emotions:
"Should I say… long time no see?”
